[Congressional Bills 107th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3985 Received in Senate (RDS)]

  2d Session
                                H. R. 3985


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                             March 21, 2002

                                Received

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 AN ACT


 
    To amend the Act entitled ``An Act to authorize the leasing of 
      restricted Indian lands for public, religious, educational, 
 recreational, residential, business, and other purposes requiring the 
 grant of long-term leases'', approved August 9, 1955, to provide for 
    binding arbitration clauses in leases and contracts related to 
         reservation lands of the Gila River Indian Community.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled, That the first section 
of the Act entitled ``An Act to authorize the leasing of restricted 
Indian lands for public, religious, educational, recreational, 
residential, business, and other purposes requiring the grant of long-
term leases'', approved August 9, 1955, (69 Stat. 539; 25 U.S.C. 415) 
is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
    ``(f) Any lease entered into under the Act of August 9, 1955 (69 
Stat. 539), as amended, or any contract entered into under section 2103 
of the Revised Statutes (25 U.S.C. 81), as amended, affecting land 
within the Gila River Indian Community Reservation may contain a 
provision for the binding arbitration of disputes arising out of such 
lease or contract. Such leases or contracts entered into pursuant to 
such Acts shall be considered within the meaning of `commerce' as 
defined and subject to the provisions of section 1 of title 9, United 
States Code. Any refusal to submit to arbitration pursuant to a binding 
agreement for arbitration or the exercise of any right conferred by 
title 9 to abide by the outcome of arbitration pursuant to the 
provisions of chapter 1 of title 9, sections 1 through 14, United 
States Code, shall be deemed to be a civil action arising under the 
Constitution, laws or treaties of the United States within the meaning 
of section 1331 of title 28, United States Code.''.

            Passed the House of Representatives March 19, 2002.

            Attest:

                                                 JEFF TRANDAHL,

                                                                 Clerk.